All you grinners and sinners! Here’s what’s going down in the new week..one helluva big daddy event is on and on- Lock and load to Tuesday the 1st of April 2014.
Yes earthlings, ”360 Edge” spear headed by the ever friendly and effervescent duo, comprising of Eddie & Vishal; brings to us the crackling ”MyFavDj” showcase, dedicated to our musical heroes who entertain us all year round and more than ever instigate all of us to dance like there’s no tomorrow. With my excitement level at an all time high, I am so proud to present the ever luscious- ”MyFavAwards 2014” preview here on dancemunkey.

An annual, where we get together to honor the best of music, the artists who play and produce it along-side the machines that make us go!!

The MyFavAwards show last year, saw an unprecedented climb for the number of nominees and the election process undisputedly one of the finest ways, of choosing your favorite performer. India’s one and only online poll that lets you decide who amongst the warriors of music are the kings of tomorrow. An annual voting process; this concept has become quickly popular amongst the old and new. Garnering a whopping 1700 registrations and counting since the first year, the web-site myfavdj.in is the largest resource for Djs and artists….So goes, that the night in question was glittering and the music bomb.

Fast forwarding to a brand new year and fresh stories in the making, MyFavAwards 2014 gets a full frontal make-over all around it. Get a load of the hottest event this year, cause it has a new venue- this time the Hard Rock Cafe, Mumbai will be hosting the proceedings for the very first time. And dearest clubbers, take heart cause the show has opened itself up as a public event, where anyone of the MyFavAwards followers with a musical heart and dance in their feet can attend. (Club rules apply)
If that’s not enough there are some really cool points to sink your musical teeth in to such as- As a continuation to the MyFavDj uniqueness of all is fair in love and musical wars, the concept has introduced the ”MyFav All Stars”, which means to say that artists who’ve gone on to be your chosen award winner for the term of 2 years in his/ her category moves in to the lofty position of the ”MyFav All Stars League” and shall not be participating in the polls for the next couple of years. The idea behind it brings to mind how this will encourage/ create visibility and propagate a platform from where new and up coming talent gets a shake up.

For the green horns searching for that coveted space…here’s how you go about it:

To get nominated: One has to use the Nomination request app on MyFav Facebook Fan page to nominate yourselves in for consideration that leads to the spanking trophy. There after the nominees are short listed on the basis of how active they have been and the number of gigs they have played at during the current year and of course the all important regulation of how big your fan base is.

The best part of this year is the Producer Nominations that’s gathered speed and momentum like no other.
In the here and now, I am so delighted to see that MyFavAwards has leapt forward to it’s 4th year with great musical attitude and sticking to the supporting emergence of our vast pool of talent in India. I’m also, so happy to announce that taking everything in to account, more than 40,000 votes have come in for the artists at hand.
Get yourselves busy and here’s what you can do to get a piece of the hot and happening cake- #SYLA & #SYLDJ are the coolest hash tags that plays up this awards fun. So get your naughty fingers in a flurry no matter whether you’re an artist, club or promoter. If you wanna get with it use it, abuse it to promote your fabulous home grown machines for this year’s fun and frolic.

And just to get you guys clued in to all the news, reviews and everything funky, here’s where you gotta go http://www.myfav.in The all new and improved web-site is slated to go public for your viewing pleasure from the 1st of April as well.

Moreover, the cavernous depth of Hard Rock Cafe is gonna bump and grind to the booming bass lines and stomp yard projections of your dancing feet with the ”MyFavAwards- the After Party” where the army of four fabulous performers that our country has ever seen, are slated to perform at… Cutting edge and chunky electronic dance music, from Rishabh Joshi(Lost Stories) Priyanjana, Bullzeye (Siddhanth Kapoor) and of course last but not the least reigning champion of all champions, winner for two successive years in running, the electric presence of ”Ankytrixx” at the console, to get your freaks on with is sure to be fun from the word go. When the new trophy with the gorgeous new design that resembles the 4 point myfav star is handed over to this year’s winners, we shall go on to celebrate the new brigade of our musical custodians, as much as we have for the ones before them.

There’s a spark in the air, for the show has all the ingredients for a mega blaster outing, having been there for the festivities last year, some of us already know what a crazy time was had by all. And I’m all up and ready sharpening my claws, polishing my 6 inches for the refined experience once again, which has a fresh face as again, we usher out the giants of today to welcome in the new times and block busting talented winners of tomorrow.

Only reason one might not attend this festive occasion is if you were a zombie…until Tuesday, my munkeys…keep sharp!!

The road less traveled maybe full of unforeseen dangers, but what would be the fun of dancing, if we were to take paths but un-chartered.

PHASE 1

You put Helium Project in an opening set for Ankytrixx at this venue and all the favorite bunnies in the house, one can only guess the energy of the night itself by that combination and it means trouble for the weak hearted.

Helium started nice and easy for me, little did I know of the wily bass lines that were to follow, I would’ve gone easy on my vodkas.There in followed a swift flaying of an enraptured audience swooning to every chunky meld of sounds, oh yes the glorious dirty filthy underground notes flew off the console like poetry in motion.

One can easily place Helium at the Warehouse Project in Manchester and you can’t tell the difference, his style reminiscent of the weighty Bedrock parties, one may have been fortunate to experience. It was sheer aggravation for our senses and dj artistry that suffuses warm grooves with wind milling knock out beats to make Helium Project’s opening set such a compelling one.

PHASE 2

Enter the dragon boy with what I must say was a helluva nasty opening track, with delirious heads ready to eat every sweet bootylicious melody jumping right at ya tunes. His sets are turning legendary and Ankytrixx freaks the shoes out with his energetic, sunny side up outings.

Every track thrown at us were futuristic bump & flex, along with a bombardment of shiny metallic lasers, we went right off the hook and Lasered Phazered all right. Ankytrixx’s performance once again was a profusion of busy Progressive slam-dunk action and chuckle some snares paddling your ears into submission.

Blue Frog is right up there with a hard to emulate line up of performing artists, the visual jockeys give a wondrous sense of colorful space on to the warm smoking area in front and accessible bar areas both inside and out which wastes no time in catering to ones parched throat, hosting nights like this one with such enthusiasm and zest bodes well for the dance scene in general, cause nowhere can one find this full throttle vibe from the word go.

Oh I did dissolve in to a bundle of good for nothingness, accompanied by a munkey grin at an unforgettable party.

One of my all time favorite sets ‘Parallel World‘ by Ankytrixx; get your rockers off munkies!!

Helium Project (Devils Dance)! Brand New set up for your aural pleasure, click on Helium.

My party meter went right up for this one, Nick Warren performing at unarguably the best venue in town is truly a huge deal, I mean what can possibly go wrong with this combination, to put the cherry on the dance wagon our very own Beast from the East Sanjay Dutta with the opening set for a stalwart Dj. Absolute heaven!

Hark! There in I decided that I am going to come up with some nasty moves on the floor, with all my favorite bunnies in the house as well…

Sanjay Dutta celebrates 20 years of a gargantuan career in making people dance, a pure revolutionary in Progressive House. His warm up set for Nick Warren was blissed out fun for us happy people and the stage set with screaming heads to welcome the Way Out West giant.

Nick Warren’s Global Underground compilations Live at Paris, Budapest, Reykjavik & Shanghai to name a few, are collectors’ item for me. Check the official Global underground website for more details on his compilations: http://www.globalunderground.co.uk

Now Nick Warren is a sweet man and an intelligent performer in the world of House music, and the tunes he churned out one after the other were fluffy, fantastic goodies but an hour in a half into the set a certain inertia started to creep in no matter how I tried to move every conceivable part of my body to show I care, waves of lethargy took me by a strangle hold and I went into a kind of disbelief at the boredom his music started to generate in me…..

Nick Warren reached a plateau from which he refused to advance that which is called Progression. That’s what Progressive House stands for it surely has to lead you from one level to another to ultimately a higher level of consciousness, as I know it.

Sadly, an average outing for the gentleman.

But wait, I am not finished yet….i still tried valiantly to wiggle all I got but my night with Nick Warren came to a complete halt when Yeke Yeke screeched out from the speakers, I mean I know this track as a pop hit from the 90’s but to hear it in the 21st century is taking it a bit far, he might as well drop Macarena in while he’s at it. I’m all up for an anthem to be dropped in a fresh basket of choons, but this was beyond my comprehension, no matter he remains one fabulous producer and dj in dance land.

I had a good time cause Blue Frog is absolutely smashing, but somehow I always come out wanting and craving for musical goodness, can’t help I am a spoilt munkey.

A Deep, luscious warm up set was provided by one of the most promising upcoming artists in the dance music circuit: Arijit who goes by the dj name of Helium Project. His tunes went in from a Deep to Tech House vibe giving you the grooves with Acapella samples on to an edgier Techno blend right to the time where it all went up tempo for the energy of Ankytrixx, Helium truly leaves many gasping for breath and his music transcends the wicked.

Ankit’s night at Aurus recently, had all of us in a grip of complete euphoria, apart from the fact that he jumped so high at his console that the speakers gave way. So goes the mark of a true performer that plays music to entertain and has that bucketful of magic that converts every audience to fall at his wake, truly a package of Progressive & Tech trouble. (He is a name to reckon with in Psychedelic Trance as well and his sets are talked about with much respect, to veer off a bit). I have watched this very boy from close range many years now and his style of music has remained fresh, always weaving sounds cleverly along with mixing skills above par making him one of the most formidable talents in India. Rarely have I seen Ankytrixx giving less than a top- notch performance and his set at Aurus proves and encompasses all this, that when one play’s music like he does, one cannot but feel less than touched by perfection to a dance till you drop set. Melodies infused into pumping bass lines that makes one want to jump to touch the ceiling to the incredible power he exudes from behind the console, is manna from heaven for every club head. I am always catatonic with delight whenever he takes to the stage and this night was no different.

Having said that, Aurus tries the restaurant cum lounge conversion to a club vibe every Friday night, it can work wonderfully if they do a bit more towards creating that feel, if they were to maybe change a chunk of the existing set up to compliment the artists that perform.. I can’t help but feel that I am dancing in someone’s dining room and see diners while we are going insane dancing. To add to that there are a zillion guests hurrying past to relieve their bladders and the console lies right in the path of the rest rooms. Help I say!!

They do have a Friday night lineup featuring quite a lot of new talent on the block, so somewhere to go for many. The smoking area out front over looking the beach is cozy and looks pretty with a slightly Arabian nights feel to it, a Mediterranean menu captures the heart much more than what’s inside, so great going there.

Ankytrixx gave everyone a cardiac arrest, nearly. I am home trying to get over the night, still.

I am a dance head, way too long my lovelies so forgive my snotty disposition when I get out in my finery, to sample the party experiences I’ve had to suffer at. Oh there have been times of extreme euphoria, but too far and in between sigh!!

No matter, these smoky interiors still enthrall me nearly two decades now, like I have just started anew.

So, I kinda feel like sharing all those outings like an excited child and hope to god all you ladies listen (includes the metro-sexual males in there too) I hear them boys get pedicures and tweeze their eye brows these days.

Talking about getting tweezed gets me all warmed up to the topic of the night at a hot spot in town, which hosted a mighty name in dance music; the legend Sasha.

I’m proud to say that the opening set was played by one of my favorite djs of all time Ash, he is part of one of the most popular Electronic acts India has ever produced, Jalebee Cartel.

He got right down to the business of getting us quivering folks up with fluff and no further ado…. melodies infused in Progressive warmth turned me up alright.

By the time Sasha sashayed into the console, we were all candy at Ash’s hands.

What followed, gob-smacked me into a shivering bundle of disbelieve, I know Sasha as one of the most prolific djs and I myself have been swayed to a mushy lump with compilations of the grandeur of Involver 1 & 2, his mixes from Global Underground are gold and some such, but he disappointed a lot of us with his demeanor which was far from sunny and his tracks selection was at best frustratingly soporific and short of mindless, it was like taking a ride on a tortoise at 2 p.m god almighty. What gets my goat here, is that time and time again, I have witnessed international acts of repute come to India and they end up dishing out sub-standard performances and that we wouldn’t be knowing Jack. But some of us do, so give us the goods gentlemen or ladies for that matter…ohh Sophie Sugar, now that’s a dj. Truly a night of magic, a night worthy of writing about, which I shall come to another time.

Now, Sasha does do the opening act to perfection, plus there was a brief period of time in the set where he unleashed some biggies, that was right about the time when the cops showed their might at closing the place down, yes right when one is about to swoon in delight. Full marks to Frog for hosting this event; needless to say I am a froggy for life.

I say, it was a night of fun and frolic overall… but one thing is for sure if someone ask’s me to party at peak time with Sasha, I’d rather get me self a ride on a tortoise har har har!!